This invention relates generally to systems and methods for assessing and modifying an individual's physiological condition. More particularly, this invention relates to systems and methods for assessing and modifying an individual's physiological condition by analyzing heart rate data collected while the individual is exercising according to an exercise regimen.
The human physiological condition is the result of complex interactions between various underlying phenomena that are internal as well as external to the human body. For example, cardiac activity is an accumulation of complex interactions between various internal phenomena such as muscular, neurological, vascular, pulmonary, endocrinal, chemical, and cellular phenomena. Cardiac activity also responds to external behavioral activity, such as physical activity that causes energy expenditure and recovery, and to naturally occurring environmental phenomena, such as day-night cycles, lunar cycles, and weather seasons.
A perspective view of human physiology enables one to describe physiological functions in terms of wave phenomena made up of a superposition of other underlying wave phenomena. For example, cardiac activity manifests itself through repetitive pulsations of the heart as a heart wave. The heart wave is a result of a superposition of many underlying waves (i.e., cycles) including behavioral waves (e.g., energy expenditure and recovery cycles in response to physical activity), environmental waves (e.g., day-night cycles), and internal waves (e.g., molecular biological, cellular, and chemical cycles).
Heart rate variability (i.e., the variation in an individual's heart rate) is another manifestation of the superimposed effects of various endogenous and exogenous phenomena on human physiology. Decreased heart rate variability has been associated with abnormal physiological conditions and increased mortality. Treatments which increase heart rate variability in an individual's serve both therapeutic as well as prophylactic purposes. Dardik U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,007,430, 5,800,737, 5,163,439, and 5,752,521, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties, further elaborate on the wave nature of cardiac activity.
Current methods for analyzing cardiac activity, however, are inadequate because they do not analyze the cyclical properties of heart waves with a view to unraveling details of their superimposed wave structure. In the absence of quantitative information on the cyclical properties of heart waves, it is difficult to provide a complete or accurate assessment of an individual's physiological condition, and individually tailor exercise regimens. For example, most methods of prescribing exercise regimens are often based on general criteria, such as age, rather than an individual's actual physiological condition.
It would therefore be desirable to have systems and methods that more completely and quantitatively characterize heart waves.
It would further be desirable to characterize heart waves in a manner that provides an accurate quantitative metric of an individual's physiological condition.
It would also be desirable to be able to generate individually tailored exercise regimens for modifying an individual's physiological condition, based on a quantitative metric.